Welcome everybody to Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. Happy holidays. How is everybody doing? We are right on the eve of Christmas. It is the end of another pinball year and you know what we love to do at Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. We like to look back at what happened in the pinball world. Is it a great year in pinball? What if I told you that like 13 pinball machines came out in 2024 in the year in which pinball has been the most expensive it's ever been? And I'm here to tell you right now when you go down the list of games that came out, what this hobby has put into the marketplace, I have to be completely candid. It is embarrassing. How bad this hobby has missed the mark again. It's like the last two years when pinball prices went through the roof, all the market research went out the window. So I think each and every one of us, we don't think pinball is dead. We don't think FOMO is completely over. But the days of these mediocre themes, the days of these high prices, the days of these pinball companies think anything that goes into a box is going to get bought regardless the code regardless of the mechanical issues regardless if it's like the 18th Marvel title those days are over and we're looking for new magic and pinball but it needs to be based on themes we really want and I think that's the overarching theme I think as we look to 2025 we start to get really excited about stuff like Harry Potter the Stern F Super Mario Brothers The Matrix King Kong Goonies Barrels of Fun Labyrinth 2023 What's around the corner from them? Nostalgic Property 80's But we're not talking about next year right now. We're talking about this year and here's what Kenaid is gonna do. We're gonna do two shows. I'm gonna do the best of 2024. We're gonna call it the Kenaid Kudos Awards and I'm gonna go down a list of what I think was the best in pinball this year. And I'll give you the categories, best sound, best toys and mechanisms, best animations and display, best rules, best topper, best theme, best theme integration, best call outs, best launch and reveal, the coolest company in pinball. I think we should give an award to who's the coolest company in pinball that's the best member of the community, the best artwork in pinball, the best gameplay and layout, and the game of the year. So that's gonna happen most likely later this week as we head towards New Year's. Now what's gonna happen on this episode is we're gonna do the opposite. I'm gonna tell you what I think is the worst in each of these categories. Who hasn't done it right? Who really failed horribly when it comes to executing these things? And I think my responses might surprise you on some of what I select. I'm just going to take companies like Home Pin off the table. There was no new game from American Pinball. So the companies that get represented will be the companies that have either revealed or released games in 2024. Now let's go down the list of who is eligible for the worst of We've got Stern Pinball, they released Jaws in January, John Wick in May, Uncanny X-Men in September, and Metallica Remastered in October. We've got Spooky Pinball, Looney Tunes, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre I'm going to include in this list. They came out in December. I'm also going to include Evil Dead. Spooky Pinball because their games come out in December. It's like no man's land for the awards. I think they're all going to get mixed in together. Jersey Jack Pinball has Avatar that came out in September. Multimorphic had The Princess Bride revealed in February. Pedretti Gaming had Funhouse remake in May. Pinball Brothers had ABBA in April. Dutch Pinball X revealed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in October. The Turner Pinball had Ninja Eclipse in March. So when you add all those up, and that's not including labyrinth, which came out in 2023. It's also not including any pulp fictions, nothing in here from Pinball Adventures. That's 13 games, 13 games, ladies and gentlemen, 13 freaking games. And that is just bonkers to me that when you go down this list, how many of these games do you really want to own? How many of these games are worth the money? How many of these games have improved upon what we've had before in the world of pinball? And you tell me that all these pinball companies don't need Kaneda as their chief marketing officer. There is no way that pinball should be here in 2024. It's embarrassing. Let's be honest. That is an embarrassing list of themes. When you look at the target demographic, the people that these companies need to be selling This is a horrendous list of titles, I think, overall in the world of pinball. All right, so let's go down and start to hand out the awards for the worst in 2024. So let's start out with the worst sound in a game. So sound package is always interesting, right? Because sometimes, you know, the best sound package goes to like ACDC or Foo Fighters. Now what game out there would you say when you play it doesn't have the best sound? Oh you know going down this list this one's a little bit tricky for me. This one's a little bit tricky for me because the way I'm gonna do this, here's my criteria is like did something miss really badly in this category when it should have nailed it because to me that's how I'm gonna come to some of my conclusions on this award show. So, in all these games, I think the worst sound, and because when this game launched, really the music turned a lot of people off, the award for worst sound package in a pinball machine goes to the Uncanny X-Men. And, you know, it's still a head scratcher how when they revealed this game, they've got that iconic theme song and it was not included on the launch of the game. I still don think the music in that game is really getting people going and it should have like based on the theme the uncanny x should have much better sound than it does all Alright so what are the worst toys and mechanisms in a game Like which game when we look at all these titles has the least inspiring stuff happening on the playfield? Okay, I'm looking at this, right? Worst toys and mechs in a game. Now if I go down this list, there's not much in Turner Pinballs, Ninja Eclipse, but I don't think that's the worst. Again, I'm going after what should have been loaded with toys and mechs and what is coming up way short. The award, this was between two titles, the award for the worst toys and mechanisms in a pinball machine goes to... It was neck and neck between John Wick, but the winner is gonna be Avatar. How do you make an avatar pinball machine that costs $12,000 to $15,000 and there's not a single toy in the game? There's not a single toy in the game! I know it has mechs and diverters, but for all the source material, the fact that these guys didn't put a single toy in the game that really interacts with the ball, they should be ashamed. Even John Wick has a captive ball connected to the Mustang. John Wick's toys are pretty damn bad too, but there are still at least toys that interact with the ball. Jersey Jack, you should be ashamed. Mark Mark Seiden, I mean it, you're a really good guy, but man, you gotta go back to the drawing board. A toy and mech needs to interact with the ball much better than what you put into Avatar. So what were the worst animations and display in a pinball machine? Even as I do this, I'm like, Kaneda, this doesn't really feel like the holiday spirit. We're going down the worst that's happening in pinball. So what was the worst? What machine, when you looked at the animations, did you just say, oh, what is happening here? Now, I know a lot of you want me to vote for X-Men on this. It's not the worst. Come on, gang, you're too tough on the X-Men animations. I think what makes the X-Men animations like come across much worse than they actually are is the lack of music or good call outs in the game. I think that's what's making you think those animations are terrible. But man, they're not the worst. I'm just going to say that. So as I look down here, you know, the animations are always good in Avatar. You know, Princess Bride is good. But I think the worst animations, I would have to give the worst animations in a pinball machine, I think is ABBA. Go watch an ABBA stream. There's nothing to write home about with those animations in that game. Again I just think it's 2024 and animations and display should just have a lot more fun stuff going on. You might argue for Funhaus remake, but again I don't know, you know, if you've got an LCD The animation should be better. All right, so what are the worst rules in a game? This gets a little tricky. The worst rules in a pinball machine. It's hard, right? Because, you know, I would say that like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the rules said it's not really that flushed out. Is it the worst? Maybe not, because you don't really have expectations of what you want that rule set to be. The worst rule set in all of pinball. And I think the worst rule set, and I'm just going to say this, I think this is a coin toss for me between Avatar and X-Men. And I want to explain why I think these two rule sets are really at the top of my worst of list. First and foremost, Avatar is just way too confusing. All the stuff that Keith puts into that game. When they hand out, here's the rule sets, here's 22 different like song notes. You need to collect and here's all these different things. It's just not fun. I'm just tired of Jersey Jack rule sets that require you to study this humongous diner menu to understand how to play the game. That's not pinball. I've owned Guns N' Roses now. I've played it like hundreds of times. I still don't like how complex it is. Why are there so many patches? I'm still not 100% sure how to play the game and I don't like that. It shouldn't be that confusing. When I owned Batman, I knew how to play the game. When you own a Metallica, you know how to play the game. And I think, I think Avatar, it's just way too complex, but that's not the worst, you know, but I have to give the worst rule set to X-Men. This game's rule set is really the number one reason why people are just so upset with this game. The game is beautiful. The game's got a really creative layout. It just doesn't come together with the rule set. If there ever was a game that needed the rule set and needed the code to sort of live up and tie together this really ambitious game, it was this game. And it needs a major overhaul. And so that is why X-Men wins for worst pinball rule set of 2024. And I think a lot of people would agree with that. I don't know if Jack Danger is going to send me some holiday wishes, but it's not his fault. It really is not his fault. The software and coding department is really what let this game down. What's the worst topper in pinball? I'm trying to think which one of these games even like has a topper that comes included that is not very good. All right, so this one's easy. The worst topper in pinball, because it sits on top of one of the most beautiful games that has ever come out, is Stern pinball's Metallica topper. OMG, did they just fall asleep at the wheel designing this thing? It's like they just ran out of ideas. They've got the most beautiful art package on this game. They use nothing from that artist in the topper itself. It's a thousand dollars and all they could do was like put Metallica up there in title alone with like some sling plastic flasher caps. It is so cheaply done. It looks way too small. It looks like Stonehenge from Spinal Tap sitting on top of that game. They should be so embarrassed that on this beautiful game, that's the best they could do and it's a thousand freaking dollars people. No moving parts, nothing interesting in it, no beautiful sculpts. Get the F out of town that that thing cost twice as much as an Xbox. Alright so next is the worst theme in pinball. What's the worst theme in pinball? This one is where it gets fun. Which one is it? You know, oh man, I'm looking at the list. I'm looking at everything that's come out this year. It's almost like you don't want to be called out on this show at all. If you don't hear your name, it's actually going to be the one Kanaeda's Pinball Podcast where you're happy he did not mention you. The worst theme of pinball in 2024 hands down easily without a doubt is Jersey Jack Avatar What were they thinking Zero market research Second would absolutely be John Wick but when it comes to worst, it's Jersey Jack, because Stern can have a John Wick and surround it with these other games that will sell, but Jersey Jack only makes one game. They need to get it right. They can't whiff on the theme, And Avatar as a movie franchise, I get the movie might make two billion at the box office, but it is not a film that you and I think about. We don't talk to each other about it. We don't quote that movie. You couldn't even name four characters from the movie, not even three characters. And so for Jersey Jack to think that we want it in Avatar Pinball Machine in 2024, when there's like three more movies coming out and the The narrative is not done and this battle for Na'vi, like none of it, right? This battle for Pandora, none of it should have been made. And so that is why Jersey Jack wins for worst theme. Now what's next? Worst theme integration. Should Avatar also win worst theme integration? You know, looking down this list, the answer is no. John Wick without guns is hands down easily maybe the worst pinball theme integration of all time. The fact that they released John Wick with no guns, one of the worst theme integrated decisions of all time. I don't care if the studio demanded they make it that way. They never should have made it if the studio wouldn't let them put guns in the artwork, on the trans light, in the game itself. So easily John Wick wins for the worst theme integrated pinball machine of 2024. All right, what's next? The worst callouts in all of pinball, the worst callouts, I know what you're thinking, I'm gonna give it to X-Men, I'm not. The worst callouts in pinball in 2024 goes to Funhaus Remake. If you listen to Funhaus Remake callouts, that new voice for Rudy, it is just nails on a chalkboard. I mean it, it's not good. It is worse than anything happening in X-Men. It would make me not want to own it. So I give the worst call outs to Rudy's Nightmare from Pedretti Gaming. We got to mix it up a little bit people, right? Alright, the best launch. What was the worst launch in all of pinball? This one's interesting. You know, which game came out and had the worst launch? Now, I would argue that this is a tricky one, right? This is very subjective. Which game came out and poorly revealed itself to the world? A lot of these games come out, like they just come out, right? There's no real missteps. They just reveal the game. They show you the photos. There's not a lot of drama. There's not a lot of backlash. But when it comes to the worst launch in pinball this year, I think there's two for me that rise to the top. I think one of them is Dutch Pinball X's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I mean the way this game was revealed, Barry streaming the game in a dark room, me and Carrie did our best to try to get people hyped around this game, but the fact that there was never any real effort put into a good stream of the game or a good video of the game and then they had their own employees like draining left and right, it was really rough. I'm John Popadiuk, and I'll see you next time on Pinball Business. Sturn had to turn on their issues in crisis and invite all these media into Stern to try to salvage the game. It didn't work. They invited all these pinball media, they gave them the song and the dance, and they tried to hoodwink them with shiny decals and mirror trans lights. But in the end, this game never recovered from its really poor launch. And I don't think I've seen more negativity around a new Stern game than I saw around John Wick. Alright, so that's the worst reveal. The coolest company in pinball! You know, we're gonna get to that one later this week. So who's the lamest company right now? Who's just not doing it right? Who's not transparent? Who's this? Who's that? I mean, it's hard, right? It's hard. In 2024, who wins for the lamest company in pinball? I mean, I have to give this award to Haggis. There's a few other people that could definitely be contenders on this. In all of pinball, Haggis Pinball is the only one that people lost money on. No other pinball company did you lose money on. Nobody really lied to you. These guys collapsed in 2024. I hate to say I told you so, but man, it's over. It's over. And look, mark my words, people. Marty Robbins is going to try to recover and come back into this hobby next year. And it's not going to work. It's not going to work. I can't wait for Jeff Teolis and Marty to try to do some sort of like convalescence tour in 2025. And the reason why, Marty, I'll tell you this right now. We will accept you back if you and Damien figure out a way to make everybody whole. Until that day happens, we don't want to see anything from you. Okay. Well, what was the worst artwork in pinball? If you look at these machines and you just say, man, what were they thinking there? This one is easy. I came to this conclusion right away. The worst art package in all of pinball in 2024 is ABBA. I mean, when you look at that ABBA cabinet, I mean the, the standard ABBA cabinet, it looks like Killian made it. Like they didn't even try. And it doesn't make any sense. How are you going to, with a straight face, release something like that and ask people to pay thousands of dollars for it? They should be embarrassed that they greenlit that. And the band ABBA should be absolutely chastised for approving such a terrible looking game Alright so that the worst artwork Trust me gang the best of is going to be more fun than this because it going to be positive and good vibes and good energy All right, so we got the worst gameplay layout and then the worst game of the year. All right, we're going to close this out. So which game has the worst layout and gameplay out of all of these games? Oh man, it's hard, right? Okay, so I'm going to be objective here. I'm going to be objective. I'm looking at all of these games and I've pretty much shot all of these games. And when it comes to just worst layout, I, and don't kill me because this game is sold out. But again, when it comes to worst layout and gameplay as of today, and I played it and I played everything here. And it's mainly because they took a design and a layout that was never really a real game. It was simply meant to be a phone core thing that J-pop could put Zombietti's artwork on to keep his Ponzi scheme going. And yet Melvin did pull off the impossible and turn it into a working game, but that doesn't mean the gameplay is great. And so I hate to say it, I hate to say this to all you guys who ordered one, and I have one on order too, but when it comes to a bad layout, You know, there's just not much happening in this game from a layout standpoint. It is not going to blow you away with design and layout. And I think every other game on this list is going to shoot more like a standard pinball machine. And so that is why Kaneda has to give Alice's Adventures in Wonderland the worst layout. And again, it's not on Melvin. He just made what Jay Pop designed into a real game. Melvin, you know I love you brother, you know I love you brother, but man, it just doesn't have the flow of what these other games have. I have to give it to Alice, but it doesn't matter, right? Because this thing never was about gameplay, it never was about layout. It was about a rare collectible work of art, and the story that goes with it, and that's why they sold out. Remember, they sold out of this game even after people played it. It had long lines at the show, but I was there, like people weren't coming off this game. Aleto Team могли зем쟁enwonka I am your host the inено Hey there, Steve here! T voulez, salut ! I don't even want to give a worst game of the year. I'll make it more this. What is the worst possible game you could buy new in box out of all the games in 2024? I think that's a more fair way to do it. And the worst game you could buy new in box in 2024, drum roll please, is a $15,000 Avatar CE. If you buy this game, new in box for 15,000 people, we're looking at Godfathers right now, which had more hype and enthusiasm for it than even Avatar does. They're now worth less than like 9,800 new in box. People have lost over $5,000 on it. And if Harry Potter is around the corner, I do think Avatar CE for $15,000 is just the The worst new in box game you can buy in 2024. The second worst would be John Wick LE. That's going to lose the most amount of value for sure. And then Uncanny X-Men. You know, this is the problem now, everybody. These games are so expensive. Now look, is Avatar the worst game here? Absolutely not. I know this. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's a better game than, than Alice and Ninja Eclipse. It's a better game than ABBA. So if I were just to say like, well, what's the worst game? Maybe I'll do that. Like that's the worst buy is Avatar. The worst game out of all of these, you know, just looking all things considered would be ABBA. I do. I mean, there's just nothing about it. Like a music pin doesn't have much in it. It's a day late and a dollar short. It's not a theme that most people want and music pins are so good. And so I just look at ABBA as like out of all these games, I think the response to ABBA has been the weakest. I think people just really don't care. I would be shocked if they even sold out of this game and they're not even making many of them. And again, I hope that pinball brothers is going to respond with something like predator. I heard they might have an Arnold movie next, and I would love to see these guys do something that we really want the theme. Hey everybody, it's going to be more fun on the next episode. Thank you for tuning in for Kaneda's the worst in pinball in 2024. And I just want to say overall, all of these companies got a lot of work to do. Their marketing departments need to pick better themes. Their designers need to put more toys into these games and we need pinball to really get much better in 2025. The themes are going to be there, but will they execute them on the right level? They need to be amazing everybody. For this much money, you should be looking down at games loaded, loaded like Twilight Zone and loaded like Lord of the Rings and the games need to be masterpieces. Who the heck wants to keep throwing $10,000 to $13,000 to $15,000 at hugely depreciating games? And let's not make a mistake people. These games are hugely depreciating because they're not amazing. If Jersey Jack released Back to the Future, you'd be paying $18,000 for a CE now, even if they made a thousand CEs. So don't fool yourself. It's because the themes are bad and the games are uninspired. And that's why these games are sinking. Jaws LE, you can't find one because it's a good theme and it's designed well and the code's amazing. And so that game will hold its value or go up in value over time as more crap comes out into the market. Happy Holidays! Monday Kaneda out!